Discover Magazine November Fun Facts

In the latest edition of DISCOVER we hunt for another Earth, forecast the great next epidemic, and tell the next President what he really needs to know. Executive Editor Corey S. Powell is available to discuss these stories from the November Issue, on newsstands October 14th.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Memo to the Next President – The nation’s top scientists, including legendary biologist E.O. Wilson and NASA astronomer Alan Stern, lay out the crucial—and often unexpected—actions the next president must follow to rebuild American

Jared Diamond Forecasts the Next Deadly Pandemic. The author of the bestseller Guns Germs and Steel explains how our household pets or a tribe in Africa have the potential to unleash the next plague. The good news is that we can avert the disease before it spreads, learning lessons from AIDS. (Pages 52—57)

The Hunt for ET’s Home Heats Up – After centuries of wondering, we will soon know if there is another Earth out there. Satellite observatories could spot a habitable world another star within just the next 5 years. (Pages 31—37)

The Zombie Power of Botox – Botox uncovers deep evolutionary processes in the brain, paralyzing our emotions just as it paralyzes our faces. No wonder some of those Hollywood actresses seem like zombies—and now millions of Americans are now participating in the same inadvertent experiment. (Pages 22—23)

Is Bosnia Falling for a Pyramid Cult? – An amateur archaeologist claims he’s found ancient pyramids in Bosnia. Skeptics say they are just natural hills. But believers are making the Bosnian pyramids into a world tourist destination, and possibly creating a new peudo-science cult. (Pages 64—69)

20 Things You Didn’t Know About Elections – A little rain can change the nation’s destiny. A computer model predicts Nixon would have beaten Kennedy if it had rained in Illinois in 1960. If it was sunny in Florida, Gore would have beat Bush. Watch the weather forecast for November 4! (Page 80)

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